Mauricio Pochettino seems more than content with life at Tottenham Hotspur right now. He has turned the perennial also-rans into a side capable of competing at the very top both domestically and abroad but, with no trophies yet to cap his impressive tenure, the Argentine has unfinished business in North London.

Fortunately for Spurs, Real are also keen on Napoli’s whirlwind tactician Maurizio Sarri. And Germany boss Joachim Low, the 2014 World Cup winner, is Real president Florentino Perez’s first choice right now.

The veteran tactician has made it clear that he wants to remain in club management despite incessant links with the vacant Italy post.

Intriguingly, the report adds that North London rivals Arsenal have identified Ancelotti as a leading candidate to replace Arsene Wenger so an intriguing, if doubtful, tussle could take place between Tottenham and the Gunners.

Ancelotti is one of the most respected coaches in the modern era and led Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2010. His reputation has slipped recently, however, after failing to lead Real Madrid to the league title and losing his job at Bayern Munich in the Autumn.

Danny Owen

Daniel is a Journalist graduate from Leeds Trinity University and is generally obsessed with everything football related. Daniel watches everything from Augsburg in the Bundesliga to Vitesse in the Eredivisie with as much La Liga as possible thrown in for good measure.